Satellite 2017 panel: “Satellite delivery here to stay”

A panel of industry experts speaking at the Satellite 2017 show in Washington DC were adamant that the world’s broadcasters will not be abandoning satellite delivery of their signals “for generations to come”.

Giles Thorne, equity analyst at investment bank Jefferies, was one panellist who admitted he was “bullish” on the satellite sector and video delivery in particular.

Echoing a note he had issued earlier on March 7th, he explained that broadcasters such as Sky – if they distributed their signals via Internet/OTT –would need to pay €70 annually per subscriber. Choosing to use DTH delivery costs about €7 annually, and those costs presented a compelling argument for broadcasters.

Moreover, the panel heard that new High Throughput Satellites would increase functionality and capacity, and thus improve profitability for satellite operators.